New Dawn
by SoloRush
Summary: For Zelda being something people were use to expecting was easy but to be technically the same person yet not was on a whole different level, but having someone who was indifferent to it all was a nice change of pace.


**A Song of Change**

Zelda appeared to be walking alone through an unfamiliar field at twilight, strangely enough she felt no harm would come to her as all she could hear was the jiggling of her belt and the rustling of the grass as she was treading forth further into this space. She soon spotted the back of a slender young woman with brunette hair in the middle of this meadow and coming to a halt the young Hyrulian suddenly felt anxious causing her to rub her hand where the Triforce of wisdom was out of habit and as if the woman in the dress knew someone was watching from afar the brunette turned to face the monarch. Zelda's breath hitched as she came to stare upon a near reflection of herself yet oddly it wasn't as the peculiar person knowingly smiled at her as silence loomed after but it didn't feel awkward rather it felt like an odd understanding between one another, when unexpectedly it was broken as she heard a voice speak in her mind that sounded like her own, "It is time for a new song to play forth." Her blue eyes widening as the blond rushed forward, her golden shoulder plates and bracelets clacking against her at the quick movement, she had finally realized who this person was but it was all too late to question this other royal as she dissipated into a flash of light. Quickly visions flooded her mind with many different people and creatures before her as nonsensical images of them battled one another appeared, yet an unknown power filled her senses and soon it overwhelmed her mind and body causing her to scream out as it consumed her.

That was when the young woman suddenly jolted from her bed gasping as cold sweat ran down her face, her right hand clenched tightly to her sleeping gown, her room showed no sign of light in the early morning. However Zelda's senses were heightened in her panicked state as she identified a familiar energy of someone outside her room, turning her head in the direction of where her door was as it slowly opened, and to her relief it was just Impa her caretaker and protector since she was born.

"My Queen, is everything alright? I became worried once you didn't show up to our rendezvous this early morning." Her long time friend questioned over her unusual action of oversleeping, her worried tattooed face visible by a simple flame of a candle.

"Impa..." Zelda's voice came out almost like a plea of desperation from a frightened child, which caused Impa to go into protector mode. "The strange dream has come again to me."

The tall Sheikah warrior came close and kneeled down to gently take hold of Zelda's hand and soothe her, like it had done since she was a child, "Maybe it's an omen for Hyrule." The white haired woman spoke quietly yet sternly.

The young Hyrulian shook her head, "It doesn't feel like it has anything to do with Hyrule. There is also the enigma of that person who is a mirror image of me yet isn't.."

"Could it not be of Queen Hilda?" Impa inquired, again the royal shook her head while squeezing her caretakers hand, her consoling hardly doing anything to calm her mind.

"No, this one looks and feels utterly different, it's like we **are** the same person but again, we are not." with a final squeeze from Impa she let go and stood up, Zelda's eyes followed her as she walked towards the window, candle in hand.

"If that is your overall feelings over these visions, than at most we can only wait and see what happens." Seeing no other reason to speak more on this subject, the royal could only sigh tiredly. A slight pause came over the conversation before Impa spoke again. "For the time being, I know of a way to keep your mind busy."

"Oh? Do tell." The Sheikah turned her head at the Hyrulian and smiled playfully, the young girl understood the implication of her friend immediately and gave a wry smile back.

* * *

In a forgotten part of the castle's basement you could hear scuffling and clashes of metal, "One slight mistake in your form is an advantage for your opponent!" The dark skinned woman stated to the blond as she nearly slashed into the Queen's arm, swiftly dodging the attack she gripped her rapier and thrusted forward while Impa moved out the way. If an onlooker were to see them as of now, it would be quite the perplexing sight as the monarch was not only being yelled at by her own servant but was actually sparing against her, it would be considered scandalous.

Nevertheless the Hyrulian only nodded as she continued with her training, sweat dripping down Zelda's forehead, her golden crown off to the side with her everyday attire, now adorning clothes from the Sheikah tribe as training gear. Why she was training so vehemently was not because there was any war but due to the events of seeing Hilda go to great lengths for her kingdom of Lorule, it had inspired the royal to become stronger for her own kingdom's sake and maybe if she was completely honest she did not want to be such a burden for the Hero of Time, Link. Zelda had felt like she could've done so much more to help the young warrior had she not been so inexperienced at fighting and although she may have a tendency to be more passive than aggressive, she still knew that it wouldn't do if another serious incident were to happen again, that is why she asked the Sheikah warrior to take her on as a student.

"If I didn't know any better I would say I was fighting a Cucco chick!" Impa tested, trying to get a rise out of the Queen but the girl's only response was to grumble as she choose to rapidly do an onslaught of slashes, and all the while her teacher was swerving left and right almost dancing to the rhythm of their spar, "Though I suppose it has been quite a while since we started and that it maybe due to fatigue but," unexpectedly she gripped the back of Zelda's collar due to missing a jab and swiftly flipped her down making the teen land with a hard thud. "that still doesn't excuse you of zoning out of our training, because if your mind and heart is not in battle then you have already lost."

Slowly sitting up, Zelda rubbed her aching head, "I apologize Impa...even with training I just can't shake off these feelings that my dreams have caused today." She felt ashamed at letting her most trusted friend down.

The older female exhaled softly and smiled knowingly, "Don't apologize, I'm just being hard on you because I don't want you to get injured for any reason be it yourself or others, understood?" The blue eyed girl nodded, "Although in regards to your dreams, it must mean that something will change soon enough, be it good or bad so for now training is done for today." She extended her hand to the downed Queen.

"Yes..." Zelda knew not to argue with Impa about this, thus grabbing the warriors hand her training came to an end. Coming back up from the basement and dressed in her regular attire now, Zelda's ears twitched as she and her caretaker heard commotion going on in the castle. Both women gave each other knowing looks before hurrying into the main hallways of their home, they saw many different workers seemingly looking for something or rather someone as a familiar green wearing teen had spotted the two women before rushing to talk to them in slight panic.

"Oi, there you two are!" The blonde male exclaimed clearly happy that he had found them, soon he focused his eyes on the monarch, "Zelda the whole village and I thought that you had been kidnapped, I luckily came here first for confirmation from Impa but I can see now that you're okay!" The teen spoke in a relieved tone while the two appeared confused, both thinking about what had an hour of training done to the kingdom.

Going slightly in front of the blonde, the Sheikah stood tall, "Link, please tell us why the townspeople and you thought that."

The hero's blue eyes deepened in an unusual thoughtfulness, "Right, well In the middle of Kakariko Village there is a large green contraption, it almost resembles a pipe." The boy continued, "It had appeared so suddenly that everyone thought something bad was already happening but as of now nothing has come in or outside of it." The two older females nodded at the new information brought forth.

A few moments of silence passed before Zelda spoke, "Well we should go inspect this unusual phenomenon." Impa gave her an incredulous look at her suggestion as any other day she wouldn't have had said anything like this but her gut feeling was telling Zelda to go to the scene herself and she just had to follow it.

"What if something happens to you, Zelda?! Link voice rose his overprotective behavior shining through for his friend's safety, after the Lorule incident the boy had became quite a close friend to the Queen, even to the point of where he knew when she was over stressing on work for the kingdom, and would drag her away to the gardens to relax.

Alas the royal only shook her head at him, "It will be fine, I have you, Impa, and my knights to protect me." She smiled at the taller teen, it seemed to quell his overprotectiveness as he nodded back. Though in the back of her mind she knew now that she had the confidence to fight against most enemies, but she'd let that be a secret between Impa and herself for now.

* * *

Just as Link had said, the large green pipe stood out in the middle of the village just like a sore thumb, a crowd had formed since this strange appearance. Zelda's face remained calm as she observed the object intensely but her heart was beating wildly, something in this oddity made her see a connection with her earlier vision.

It wasn't until one of the Knights questioned aloud to his commander that broke the stillness, "So, what do we do with this thing?"

"...I honestly don't really know myself," the tall woman scratched the back of her neck, "it seems to be non-hostile so far, maybe it's an ancient artifact that sprouted up from underneath.." Impa stated with uncertainty, still very cautious of this object.

"Then if it's an ancient artifact then let me confirm this with my magic." Zelda said, finally finding an excuse to get even nearer to this strange pipe.

"What?!" Impa and Link verbally questioned their friend's judgement while the villagers and soldiers looked on in disbelief at what their highness was saying.

The young ruler gave a certain stubborn look that silenced both of them as she slowly walked over to the object, her two friends close behind, "It will be fine, I sense nothing wicked coming out of it." as she cautiously placed her hands on the surprisingly warmed metal, she soon focused her magic to identify anything living inside it and furrowed her eyebrows. "Rather it seems like it's empty and void of life, yet there is a strange warmth emitting from the outside.." as she finished her assessment, Zelda felt like she ate her own words a bit as everyone heard the pipe rumble to life, backing up hastily she summoned Din's fire into her hands while her two protectors readied their own weapons. Soon enough a person launched out of the pipe crying out in terror as they were high in the sky and just as fast crash landed onto the ground.

"Oof!" The mysterious stranger exclaimed in pain as dust clouds grew to cover them, once cleared they saw a man wearing a green shirt and blue overalls, "Mama Mia, that could've gone better…" his shaky voice had a thick unknown accent as he dusted himself off and adjusted his green hat, the lanky male looked around to find himself the center of attention. Shrinking into himself the man clearly looked worried before his bright blue eyes noticed the monarch, "Ah, h-hello there Princess Zelda!" Perking up he straightened himself out and took a step forward not minding the armed Knights and the two warriors beside her ready to strike.

"Stop where you stand!" The red eyed woman boomed causing the man to jump back and shriek. "How do you know **Queen** Zelda, what is your purpose in Hyrule!"

The man stuttered and stumbled on his words before slipping out a letter from his pocket and shakily extending his hand to the warriors as he finally squeaked out the words, "I'm l-Luigi and this is f-for pri-queen z-z-Zelda!"

"And what does this letter have to do with her!" the more Impa demanded the more the lanky man withdrew into himself.

All while this was going on the monarch felt she had seen Luigi before as her mind searched for how and when, and soon it dawned on her, canceling Din's fire, she spoke, "That's enough." Zelda put her hand on the older woman's shoulder and slightly squeezed causing the woman to quickly lower her great sword. Going forth she ignored the dubious stares from both her friends and subjects before reaching out to grab the letter from him. "I sincerely apologize about this Luigi, my people are truly protective of my safety so please do not blame any of them." She finished with a smile, making the man with the mustache relax in her presence.

"It's-a no problem pri-Queen Zelda, I'd just forgotten that I'm new here." He scratched his big nose, "but, um, could you open the letter in a more private place? It's-a very important and I wouldn't want anything to happen to it."

"If it's that important then she should read it right here with everyone watching!" The blonde young man yelled making the villagers nod in agreeance but Luigi's eyes pleaded with the royal and she understood it, Zelda felt she could trust him.

"If Luigi deems this as a significant letter for my eyes only than I should give him and his conviction the utmost respect." Her face showing no signs of a comprise much to Link's dismay, he could only sigh in resignation. Looking back at the brown haired man she gave him a reassuring stare, "Now then let's go back to the castle." slowly walking away, Zelda didn't realize that her two protectors gave off the most deadliest glare and vibe for poor Luigi as he trailed right behind her.

* * *

Once back inside her castle, only Link, Impa, and few other high ranking knights were allowed in her throne room. Zelda was currently sitting on her throne with the letter in hand, with close inspection she noticed an insignia of what looked like a strange ball, refocusing her eyes down to where a fidgety Luigi stood, she began. "Now that we're here may you please tell us why you are here and what this letter represents?"

The tall man nodded as he took a deep breath in, "Well, I am here to inform you that you have been invited into Smash by Master Hand." Visible confusion showed on everyone's face with the expectation of Luigi, she felt her heart quicken almost instantly knowing what this was about. "Ah, sorry for not explaining clearly I keep forgetting that this is all new to you, Smash is a year long tournament composed of many different fighters from across dimensions and it is hosted by this Master Hand." His mustache moved as he spoke, "The letter in your hand will explain in more details about this tournament as well as giving you an expressway ticket to the world known as Subspace, if you need more time to think about-"

"And what if she rejects you right now?" Link cut the older man off, clearly opposed of this grand tournament. "She's a Queen, she just can't up and leave like that for a whole year!" His growing opposition visible on his frowning face, right before it was smacked off of him as Impa hit him upside the head.

"Hush it now boy! I may not like it either but this is ultimately Zelda's own decision to make!" Quickly reprimanding the young teen, the Hero of Time glared in pain at the dark skinned woman.

Coughing the man nervously twittled with his gloved fingers, "Er, that is a good question to ask, if you want to reject the invitation now just hand it back to me but if it was later, than inside there would be an option to reject that would make the letter notify Master Hand of your decision." staring at Zelda he continued, "As for the whole year problem, if you were to check yes in the letter than your world would be put into a sort of pause while you could journey to this new land without any worries of attack." Zelda's eyes widen along with everyone else's, observing the letter she didn't sense any sort of magic in it but if it had the power to do that then this Master Hand was on an entirely different level than anyone here.

"How the hell do you expect us to trust that big nose!" The blond teen yelled out, it seemed Impa was on the same page with Link as she didn't punish him this time. Luigi only flinched at the young warriors strong disagreement, making him almost want to cry.

Holding back her clear disapproval of her green cladded friend's behavior for far to long, the monarch finally spoke out, "Link that's enough, if you speak out again like that then I will ask you to leave, do you understand?" She almost regretted her choice of words as a look of hurt and betrayal showed in his deep blue eyes but ultimately he conceded as he looked down. "I am deeply sorry about my friend's rude way of speaking to you, I hope you don't take offense to it."

"Non-taken, I know that I'm an outsider and it's hard to trust some stranger but I truly mean no harm as I am also an contestant for the tournament." Zelda nodded, "Um, also if it makes it any better, my own world is at a pause itself even though I have no prove of this…" Making a small hum of acknowledgment Zelda turned her attention to stare at the letter again, she finally deemed it the appropriate time to open it.

"I will read this letter now as I have a strong feeling you are quite genuine in your stances." Ending it with a reassuring smile, the long haired blond decisively opened the sealed letter and began to read it.

_Good morning Princess Zelda!_

_You have been chosen to participate in the fifth quadrennial Super Smash Bros. Tournament! _

_What is Smash you maybe thinking? Well it's a safe and supervised event where dozens of heroes from across time and space come together and test each other's strength and weaknesses! Though do not mistake it for a continuous brawl as there is also much needed down time after battling hard or training for matches in between intervals as Subspace allows you to not only explore and gain knowledge about many different cuisines, cultures, and experiences from around the multiverse but let's you interact and become friends with heroes of other dimensions. You need not worry about living spaces as it is already accommodated for by Master Hand as you and everyone else will stay in fully stocked apartments or houses that suit all of your basic needs and for any injuries sustained due to the tournament will be attended to by our top notch medical team that was assembled throughout the universes. _

_The Smash experience lasts the whole three-hundred-sixty five days of the year and if you are concerned about your own universe as you are away then have no fear as once this letter is accepted, our technology will make time come to a halt leaving everything in pristine condition almost like you hadn't even left in the first place. So if you are ready to accept than simply press down on the smash ball seal, if you are to reject then simply peel the insignia off the letter as either option will notify Master Hand!_ _Do note that if you wait and accept without the messenger with you, you will be automatically transported to Subspace were a guide will inform you about everything._

Unblinking her face remained composed but her mind was working a mile a minute as this was definitely all connected to her visions as of late. Everything in this letter was too good to be true too, but if this was their fifth tournament after every four years then of course they would work out every possible problem for this important event, however her visions had made her feel quite the opposite but her own sense of justice got the better of Zelda. Looking back up to Luigi she had made up her mind, "I accept." this decision caused an uproar in the room.

"What, why!?" Impa and Link both shouted in disbelief, the two clearly bothered about her sudden and quick resolve.

The royal wryly smiled at them, "I feel like this is the only opportunity Hyrule will have to gain knowledge of other universes as well as begin to understand them." Zelda diplomatically said making Impa seem to comply albeit begrudgingly while Link seemed to want to say more but held back for either the punishment of getting kicked out or he was still trying to find a way to say something back.

Perked up by the confirmation the lanky man happily spoke, "Ah, this is a-great news Queen Zelda! Do you wish to come today with me or wait? The Smash tournament truly begins about a month or two away but it's always a good thing to come early as possible to understand rules and get to know everybody!" His bright blue eyes and composure showed more confidence than from any time earlier.

"If this letter truly does freeze time then yes I will go with you today as most of my important work was finished as of yesterday." The sentence she uttered seemed to be the final straw for Link as he finally spoke up again.

"If she is going to this new land then I will too!" Exclaimed the Hyrulian, his mind made up he would do anything to give protection to his best friend, even traverse through worlds again.

Looking at Link now, Luigi had always known he had a certain overprotectiveness when it came to Zelda's safety but he hadn't known how much till now, "Ah, I'm sorry but you can't come if you don't have an invite." He cursed himself as he knew that was the worse thing to say to the boy.

Seeing his dark blue eyes flash with anger Luigi already flinched, "Screw the invite! While I don't mean any offense when I say this but Zelda is more of a strategist than a fighter!" While he didn't know this, Link was only partly right in his assessment of Zelda's strengths.

"W-w-we already have a slot filled for a type of fighter like you L-Link, I-I don't make t-the rules!" His visible discomfort at the growing predicament left the overall wearing man a bit scared, he really didn't want this to escalate into a fight.

Luckily the young hero turned to Zelda, "Tsk! I just can't accept you going alone to this strange tournament with even stranger fighters that we have no clue on!" His voice firm with his declaration as Link stared down Zelda.

Challenging blue eyes met with stubborn ones as the monarch spoke, "Link I will be fine, you have my word." Her voice seemed have an biting edge as annoyance hissed in her tone.

"Words aren't enough when it's actions of others that will decide for you!" Shocked at the wise words Link shouted to her she felt a bit shaken up but her rising frustration won over the situation.

Full blown frustration made her scowl at this point caused her to ignore his words, "My decision is final, Impa please prepare my clothes for me!"

Seeing no other options, he used his last resort on Zelda, "Then I challenge you to a duel!"

"What?!" Utter shock graced her features at Link's request, she knew both of them could be headstrong but for the Hero of Time to go this far just to keep her safe.

Impa quickly retaliated against Link's request, "I don't care who you think you are but you have no authority to even propose that idea!" The red eyed woman grabbed his shirt and pulled him close trying to intimidate him but she knew that it wouldn't work, he was after all the holder of the Triforce of courage.

He continued to stare down Zelda but choose to answer Impa, "It doesn't matter who or what authority I have, if she can defeat me than she can defeat anyone in my book!" He maybe a lot of things like lazy, stubborn, or immature but he wasn't controlling, in his mind, speaking honestly on what you felt was always the best choice of action even if people misunderstood that idea but he knew Zelda understood his intentions and that was all that mattered.

"Why you disrespectful lil-, I should have thrown you out the first time yo-!" Zelda's silenced the Sheikah warrior with the rise of her hand.

"I accept your challenge Link, I will prove to you that I'm not that same inexperienced girl that got trapped in a portrait all those years ago!" Her blue eyes darkened with rare anger at her bullheaded friend. "We will duel at the soldier's training grounds this instant!" She yelled before making haste out the throne room with Impa and Link hot on her trail.

"Oh no…" Luigi felt like a great guilt had been dropped onto his shoulders as these two close friends would actually fight their problems out with each other.

The two Triforce bearers stared each other down, both too stubborn to apologize or relent to their decisions, all the while knights and castle workers gathered to the courtyard to see this outrageous event. Luigi felt the tension coming from between them and to him if you had a knife you could cut right through it, he wished his older brother was here he probably would've had better luck with this Zelda and Link.

Impa on the other hand had calmed down from the heated situation and was now trying to be the mediator between the two teens, "This quarreling has gone way too far, just stop while you two can and salvage your friendship." They both shook their heads as they knew this really wouldn't ruin their relationship but to prove a point to one another as their deep bond to one another would only grow and learn from this experience.

Her usual bright blue eyes now a dark blue filled with determination to not fail in her commitment, "If Link is this adamant about the situation than I will entertain his request."

There was no point in talking down to the royal once she was like this, clicking her tongue out of true nervousness Impa could only postpone the inevitable, "Then why not use wooden swords to at least lessen the blows instead of using actual weapons."

"Impa please, I know what you are trying to do but I'm going to treat this as a proper duel no matter what." Zelda's resolve was final and all the white haired woman could do was watch and wait.

Soon as Impa was at a safe distance Zelda's attention was on Link who then decided to speak, "I know that talking you out of going to this tournament is futile but are you only going to use magic in a sword fight?" The boy finished as he readied his stance while he unsheathed his sword.

Zelda said nothing to him as she summoned her rapier out of pure white light much to his surprise, it wasn't until it was done shining that she spoke, "Oh, I think I'll use a little bit of both." As she readied her own stance.

Nodding, Link mentality prepared himself as already he could see much change in the way Zelda held herself and if it wasn't for that fact alone, it was also for how she actually carried the weapon quite gracefully like it was just an extension of her arm. Both Hyrulians studied one another guessing on who would strike first, Zelda or him, and while the audience waited in bated breath, it wasn't until a breeze signified the start of their match as both charged forth, "Hyah!"

Their swords clashed into one another before withdrawing away, both sliding on the smooth cobblestone. Zelda quickly went on offensive as she slashed at Link all the while he blocked the hits with his own sword, ending the onslaught the royal used her swift movements to jump into the air and cause a powerful energy slash to knock back Link a few feet. This was her first real fight she had to be careful and not use up all her strength but she still wanted to prove to the warrior that it was different this time, for now she waited for the Hero of Time to strike back and so he did as Link rushed at her before doing a quick jump as he swung his sword down at Zelda who quickly sidestepped out the way, clearly intending use the vulnerability the younger teen gave her as she gripped her sword preparing for a powerful jab to knock him into the ground.

Alas Link prepared himself for this, "Hyaha!" exclaimed the warrior as he used his famous spin attack thus making Zelda quickly use Farore's wind to gain back distance, he was unaccustomed to Zelda's style right now but he didn't need that all too much as he was a firm believer that if two warriors fought one another that they would ultimately understand each others way of battling, and so the the green cladded teen charged forth to strike again this time making his sword drag onto the floor as sparks came to life right before slashing to the side with only his left-hand gripping the hilt.

Barely blocking the hit as she reappeared, Zelda almost flinched back at the strength of the attack so thinking fast she managed to jostle away the sword briefly before summoning Din's Fire and blasting it onto Link's chest causing him to fling back. Thus once again distance was regained and having only a few extra seconds to formulate a plan to gain the high ground as the boy slowly recovered from the explosion dealt upon him, holding his chest in pain as he trained his eyes on her. She could only shake away the bile she felt at causing her friend any sort of pain as she promptly went forward towards him and once close enough to the hero, Zelda changed her form and swiftly yet elegantly readied her next attack as she striked the boy with multiple jabs of her rapier causing him to go into the air taking the hits head on before the monarch ended it with Naryu's love blasting him back into a pillar the audience who were there dispersed, clearly shocked at the their Queen's damage onto the warrior.

The large nose man was utterly astonished at this Zelda and Link as not once had he ever seen them fight quite like this before, they both appeared to be quite formidable in their own right and while the older man may have wanted this battle to stop soon as possible he also knew when a match truly meant something to someone and this was one of them. Side glancing to the red eyed woman beside him, he noted that this Impa was also different in this universe as she wasn't just an older lady but a younger hot-blooded woman and Luigi could have sworn he had seen a proud smile on her face before he blinked and there appeared nothing but aloof features; this timeline was peculiar one he thought as he focused his attention back to the duel.

Blood slowly dripped onto the floor as Link steadily stood up, he closed his eyes and tried to keep his breathing even but it proved hard to do. Nevertheless he pushed forward, the teen would not give up just because his friend laid out a few good hits on him, he had been through much worse when it came to injuries, so focusing his mind and body he subconsciously blocked Zelda's latest attack with his sword before opening his eyes full of renewed resolve to stop her from going, her face was full of shock and while his next move would prove to be an even harder choice he knew what needed to be done and so he tightened his right fist and socked her right in gut. Instantly his heart and soul ached as he saw pain riddle her face at his own hands, he tried to swallow down his actions but it left a bitter aftertaste allowing himself to become distracted.

Zelda gripped her stomach and attempted to regain her breathing by summoning Farore's wind to teleport herself away from Link and successfully doing so. Kneeling to the ground she now had an idea of what her friend felt just earlier, slowly but surely Link recomposed himself as he rushed forth to her, so standing up she braced herself until metal clashed again and again as both fighters danced a deadly rhythm around the courtyard.

Though the rhythm didn't last long as Link finally found a weak point in Zelda's battle style as she had a tendency to focus too much when it came to repetition so he utilized it to his advantage as he feinted her by quickly making her believe he was going to strike below but in actuality he went to do his spin attack causing the older teen to lose her rapier and receive a few cuts that knocked her to the floor.

Before she had any time to get up Link was on top of her holding her down as blood from her wounds slowly seeped beneath her but it didn't matter at this time, "It's not over, let me go!" Tears seemed to build up quickly as she realized the battle was over and she was the one to lose. She only stopped her struggle when she felt drops of water splash on her face and to her bewilderment it was Link's own tears, widening her eyes she was about to question him but he beat her to it.

"I know, I know.." Pain was visible in his exhausted face but he tried to smile, "Even when you didn't win the battle you still somehow won the war.. And for that I want to sincerely apologize to you, I was being so selfish earlier, but I know now why you truly want to go to the tournament and it's not because of gaining knowledge but because there is a greater reason behind it and I should have realized sooner, you big dork." He gently said to his friend.

"H-how?" Surprised, she barely slipped out one word before Link was answering her.

"You can fool everyone else with your words but actions really do speak louder to me." He hinted at and Zelda understood immediately as for the first time that day she truly laughed. "Now come on we need to get you all patched up for your big journey today." The Hero of Time said with unusual tenderness as he slowly lifted Zelda to her feet. "Oi! Impa come and help me get Zelda to the medic!"

Nodding, the Sheikah warrior with one swift stare made the audience go back to their daily work schedule as she helped the wounded Link and Zelda to the medical bay. It had seemed that everything was worked out by the way Zelda was smiling with Link and while Impa wouldn't question what had been discussed at the end for she knew that it wouldn't make much sense to her as only they would know how to truly interact with one another on a spiritual level for two souls were bound by strong bonds of countless time and spaces, still it did leave her curious. Luigi on the other hand was completely flabbergasted by this, Zelda had lost the match why was she happy with the young warrior, wasn't she not coming now? Groaning in confusion, he knew he wouldn't ever understand them as he followed the trio.

* * *

Afterwards Luigi was made aware that the monarch would be journeying with him for Link finally saw the light of things and didn't want to hinder his friend, feeling even more confused at the sudden change of heart he wouldn't question it, he was just happy that he didn't need to be the bearer of bad news. So by the time Zelda had filled her bags full of clothes, books, and other miscellaneous items she deemed important enough to bring, she was finally ready to venture forward and Luigi kindly offered to carry her belongings, to the trio's surprise he was well adapted to carrying rather heavy items.

Feeling it would be easier to stop time at the castle instead of near the pipe due to the villagers wariness of Luigi, it also made it an easier send off for them. "Just be careful out there and with those other fighters or I'll smash all your pots if you come home with any injuries, ya hear!" Link warned as he crossed his arms and smiled innocently, Zelda could only shake her head at him.

"Oh? If that's case then I will have Impa fill your house with Cucco's in the middle of the night as repayment." She teased as he looked at her with terror in his eyes; who would've thought battling it out would cause them to be even better friends.

Turning her attention to her caretaker, Impa smiled warmly at her before coming closer to give her a hug, "I know when time freezes and the year comes and goes, I might not truly feel like you have left us when you come back, but I still want you to come back safely to us." letting Zelda go, the red eyed woman blushed in minor embarrassment at showing a softer side in public but alas she gave one final parting gift, "Take these for good luck, you'll know what to do with them once you open them."

Impa handed her a small heavy wooden box and the Queen nodded perceptive of what her teacher's meaning was. "Thank you, I will miss both of you and my kingdom deeply." With that she pulled the letter out and took a deep breath in before pressing the smash ball. Soon it glowed brightly before everything and everyone froze in place with the exception of Luigi and herself, amazed at the magic this insignia had caused.

"Well then Queen Zelda, let's a-go!" The man with the mustache said happily as he waited for the royal to walk with him, she gave one final look at her paused friends before she finally depart with Luigi.


End file.
